The Gale

At seven years old, a child goes for the first time to collect satintail grass with their grandfather, Yeye, in this picture book debut from Nobel laureate Mo Yan, adapted from a short story of the same name. A low mist hangs over the quiet journey as the pair make the long trek to a familiar meadow, which “Yeye cuts down every summer.” Muted tones show sunrise, while a “nonsense” tune that Yeye sings, “happy, yet sad,” sets the journey’s mood. An innocent day of cutting grass, chasing grasshoppers, and napping under an awning takes a turn when heavy clouds loom: “Black clouds mean wind,” Yeye says knowingly. The stoic figure keeps his cool as a tornado touches down in the distance (“Just wind,” he says). But tears form in his eyes after the gale scatters their crop and sends his grandchild briefly skyward, a moment shown in a breathtaking sideways spread that renders the grass in a whirling figure eight. Resigned, the youth and Yeye turn back. In sparse, pensive prose, the narrator muses on themes of endurance and acceptance in uncontrollable circumstances. Movement-filled acrylic on cardboard illustrations from Zhu (What I Like Most), meanwhile, steadily convey the Chinese-cued characters’ experiences in the changing landscape. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)